Bernard J. Tyson is the chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and Hospitals – known as Kaiser Permanente – one of America’s leading integrated health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. With annual operating revenue of nearly $62 billion, Kaiser Permanente serves more than 10.6 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia.
Tyson assumed the role of chairman in January 2014 and has served as CEO since July 1, 2013. His career at Kaiser Permanente has spanned more than 30 years, and he has successfully managed all major aspects of the organization, serving in roles from hospital administrator to division president to president and chief operating officer of the Oakland, California-based health care organization.
Under Tyson’s leadership, Kaiser Permanente is delivering on its “Thrive” promise through an industry-leading 21st century approach to health care and health care coverage that is helping members achieve their aspirations of total health. Kaiser Permanente’s 190,000 employees and 18,000 physicians consistently deliver some of the best clinical outcomes in the nation, while the organization also is recognized as a leader in prevention, patient safety, quality and affordability.
Tyson believes Kaiser Permanente’s demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality and affordable health care through this combination of prevention, innovation, and integration can serve as the model for health care in America. In fact, the strength of Kaiser Permanente’s approach is evident today in the continued increase in partnerships between health plans, hospitals and medical practices across the health care industry, based on the Kaiser Permanente model.
As chairman and CEO, Tyson is dedicated to leading Kaiser Permanente and the health care industry to deliver greater affordability for members, consumers, employers and government agencies. He is actively addressing the rising cost of drugs and is a strong advocate for the elimination of health care disparities by promoting the use of aggregated data from members’ electronic health records to determine the most effective treatments for optimal clinical outcomes.
Tyson’s influence has been felt both nationally and internationally. In 2015, Modern Healthcare named him the third most influential leader in health care – marking the second consecutive year he has been the top-ranked executive on this list.
A San Francisco Bay Area native, Tyson earned a Bachelor of Science in health service management and a Master of Business in health service administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He also earned a leadership certificate from Harvard University. He serves on the board of directors of the American Heart Association (AHA), America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and the International Federation of Health Plans. He also serves on the AHA’s CEO Roundtable, and he recently completed service as co-chair of the World Economic Forum Health Governors’ Community from 2013-2015 and chair of the Executive Leadership Council in 2012-2014. He was awarded the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s 2014 National Equal Justice Award.
